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challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexism, Outing, Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is an incredible story. The details, from Chinatown to references to real historical figures, are fascinating. The romance between the girls is heart-wrenching, and the ending brings out full-blown tears. Needless to say, the style itself is absolutely beautiful, to my taste. Yes, there's a slow start and the book takes a long time to "rock out", but the end is all the more stunning. After all, that's exactly how it is in reality! A monotonous and repetitive everyday life and then BOOM!
I'd also like to point out that this book makes me much more angry at the way the queer community is represented by the hetero media. Here, here is our shared trauma, here are our fears, here is The History - and it all boils down to a male gay friend helping to pick out outfits... Somehow, it doesn't seem so all-encompassing and powerful when you live it. So - thank you, Melinda Lo.
By the way, there's a huge amount of references to literature on the subject at the end, so I what I'll be reading more. And Lo's other books have already been added to Read Later!
I absolutely recommend this book. Be prepared for a slow start - you just have to get through it so you have everything you could want from the book afterwards. And have tissues and valerian ready for that "afterwards" :)
I'd also like to point out that this book makes me much more angry at the way the queer community is represented by the hetero media. Here, here is our shared trauma, here are our fears, here is The History - and it all boils down to a male gay friend helping to pick out outfits... Somehow, it doesn't seem so all-encompassing and powerful when you live it. So - thank you, Melinda Lo.
By the way, there's a huge amount of references to literature on the subject at the end, so I what I'll be reading more. And Lo's other books have already been added to Read Later!
I absolutely recommend this book. Be prepared for a slow start - you just have to get through it so you have everything you could want from the book afterwards. And have tissues and valerian ready for that "afterwards" :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War
Minor: Child abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Cultural appropriation
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't even know how to describe what this book means to me. I haven't seen that much queer Asian representation in media, so it was amazing to see that here. Especially her family's reaction to her coming out.
I think it's more heartbreaking that everyone in Lily's life who disapprove simply don't understand. They love her and just want the best for her. Her parents, her aunt. Even Shirley must have cared about her. But that doesn't change how traumatic an experience this was for Lily. She was never really heard.
I was really pissed off at Lily's mom for getting mad at her for running away. How can you make your home an unsafe space for your child and then be mad that she doesn't want to be there? I love Lily's brother for offering to beat people up for her though.
The epilogue was bittersweet to me because she's still close with her family, but to me, it's clear that they still don't like the fact that she's gay. And yet, she's found a way to keep in touch with Kath and they're together again. She can be in both worlds, but not at the same time. It's sad, but I guess I would rather see it positively: she's able to find a way to be queer, successful, and happy despite the obstacles.
I was really pissed off at Lily's mom for getting mad at her for running away. How can you make your home an unsafe space for your child and then be mad that she doesn't want to be there? I love Lily's brother for offering to beat people up for her though.
The epilogue was bittersweet to me because she's still close with her family, but to me, it's clear that they still don't like the fact that she's gay. And yet, she's found a way to keep in touch with Kath and they're together again. She can be in both worlds, but not at the same time. It's sad, but I guess I would rather see it positively: she's able to find a way to be queer, successful, and happy despite the obstacles.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Miscarriage, War
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism, Outing, Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexism, Toxic friendship
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Malinda Lo really went above and beyond with her research for Last Night at the Telegraph Club to create a rich and immersive narrative that explores the nuances of a Chinese American teenage lesbian’s life in 1950s San Francisco. Lo does a great job mixing informative and creative writing with a careful look at the intersection of race and sexuality during a tumultuous decade. I entered the book with some concerns that there would be too much information to cover: there’s the matter of what it’s like to be a Chinese American during the Red Scare; on the other hand, being a lesbian during the 1950s. But, for the most part, Lo does a great job balancing these topics and themes through her protagonist. And huge shout out to Lo for providing a bibliography at the end, as well as an extensive report on the history of this period.
And despite the heaviness of such topics, Lo adds hope and tenderness through Lily’s journey to “find herself” (for a lack of a better phrase), as well as her developing love for Kath. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the way romance developed in this novel, particularly because it felt more realistic with the challenges they had to face. Sure, it was bittersweet, as a result, but it made every interaction between Lily and Kath all the more touching.
It’s so clear that a lot of time and effort went into the development of this novel, and it paid off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Miscarriage
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Outing
Moderate: Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a perfect romantic, gripping and vivid piece of historical fiction. I loved pretty much everything about this book, especially all of the intersections of Lily's identity and the historical climate that it explored, from her experience as a Chinese-American woman to the lesbian bar scene of the 50s to women in STEM at the time. I also loved Lily and Kath's romance, and I really enjoyed watching Lily's exploration of the lesbian nightlife scene and her own identity through the setting of the Telegraph club. Last Night at the Telegraph Club is definitely a new favourite of mine, and I'd highly recommend it!
Full review to come soon on my blog!
Full review to come soon on my blog!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage